(OLD VERSION) The Small Tortoise
by EmeraldDragonessLizzy
Summary: (This is the OLD version and its content will NOT be updated.) Abused and neglected by his relatives, Harry wished desperately for a family to love him. Magic sends him to the world of Kung Fu Panda. Po and Tigress discover Harry, now a young tortoise, in Gongmen City after the defeat of Lord Shen. Will Harry finally get the love he deserves? Po/Tigress pairing.
1. Prologue

In a tiny, dark cupboard, a small form stirs. A little boy, no more than six years old, reveals himself from under his badly worn baby blanket. Just as he uncovers his head, the boy hears pounding footsteps on the stairs above him. He quickly hides the blanket, and waits for the door to be flung open. Not a moment later, the door is ripped open, banging loudly against the wall.

"Boy!" a horse-like woman shouts "Get out of there and make us breakfast."

The small boy scrambles out of the cupboard and into the pristine kitchen. He drags an old stool in front of the stove, climbing up and turning it on before placing two pans on top. The boy hops off of the stool, hurrying to the fridge. He just barely manages to open the large door, but is able to retrieve bacon and eggs from inside. The young boy carefully moves back to his place at the stove, beginning to scramble eight eggs and fry twelve strips of bacon.

A few short minutes later, the little boy sets the table for three - his aunt, uncle, and cousin. He divides about three fourths of the food between his uncle's and cousin's plates, putting the rest on his aunt's plate. Just as he heard his uncle and cousin start down the stairs, the toaster went off. The boy grabbed the toast, placing three pieces on his uncle's plate, two on his cousin's, and one on his aunt's. The three family members, a whale, a pig, and a horse, sat down and began to eat. The small boy stood quietly in the corner, waiting to wash the dishes. He was well acquainted with the daily routine, and knew he would be doing chores until he went to bed.

~~KFP/HP~~

That night:

The small boy was curled up on his cot, clutching his baby blanket for protection and comfort as he slept. He was carefully positioned on his side because of the painful welts from his uncle's belt on his back. While physically he laid still and quiet, the young boy's mind was in turmoil as he dreamed.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead -"

"Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy… "

The young boy awoke with a start. For the first time he could remember, he had a name! He wasn't Boy or Freak anymore! No, he was Harry. Finally. Finally, he had something the Dursleys could never take away from him. Now he knew his name, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he was _someone_ , like he was actually a person, not some annoying, was-of-space burden. A scant few tears ran down his cheeks as he buried his face in his blanket.

But then Harry noticed something different about his blanket. Just moments ago it had been old and worn, threadbare and stained in different places. As he felt the blanket, it seemed as if it was brand new again. No longer old and worn, the green blanket now had the texture of the finest, softest silk, and he could make out a beautiful, Chinese dragon on one side. In one corner, he could feel the shape of letters, and when he brought it close to his face to examine it, he saw the name Harry James Potter written in gracefully curving letters. Never had he felt so comforted, for he now knew that his blanket was from his parents, who loved him enough to make sure he lived.

But the knowledge of his parents' love for him just made him even sadder. Why did he have to live with the Dursleys? Why couldn't he have gone to an orphanage, and then later a new family? As he laid there wondering, Harry wished with all his heart for a family. He knew his parents were gone, but surely there was someone who could love him, someone who could comfort him and make him feel safe.

Just after the small boy drifted into a restless sleep, his form began to glow softly. Harry's wish had been heard, and now it was being granted. The glow receded slightly, revealing the form of a small, humanoid Galapagos Tortoise, before growing to a blinding intensity. The light quickly faded away, leaving nothing in the small, dark cupboard but an old cot and a few broken toys as reminders of its previous inhabitant.

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Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a review!


	2. Chapter 1

It was dawn in Gongmen City, and boat wreckage littered the river and harbor. A large panda and a tigress, both still quite damp, sit together on the edge of a dock as they contemplate their victory.

The tigress glances at her panda companion and back at the water before speaking. "Good job, Po."

The panda, Po, looks at her in shock for a moment before replying. "Thanks, Tigress." He takes a moment and breathes deeply before sighing quietly. "I'm just glad everyone is alive. Well... almost everyone, that is." He says, referring to the late Lord Shen.

The two relax a bit, sitting back and enjoying what's left of the sunrise. They sit there for a few minutes, but then Tigress's ear twitches. She looks around for any sort of disturbance, but doesn't see anything. Po notices her looking around, and asks "What's the matter, Tigress?"

"Be quiet. I thought I heard something." She tells him. They wait in silence for a few moments. Then they hear something: a very quiet whimpering noise.

"It kinda sounds like a little kid." Po says to his companion, hearing the quiet noise again. "We should check it out."

"Yes Po. Now if you could just be quiet so I could find the child..." Tigress trails off, listening for the sound again.

"Oh, right." The panda says.

They hear the whimper again. "It's coming from over there, in that alleyway." Tigress quietly informs Po, noticing a small, oddly-shaped bundle. "But be very quiet, we don't want to frighten it."

The two carefully approach the small, whimpering bundle covered by a wide tarp. Po, being the cuddlier of the two, leans closer and pulls the tarp off of the child's form. At first the panda is confused, because all he sees is more fabric, but then he realizes it's the child's clothing. The two crouch down near the child, and tigress gasps.

"What?!" asks Po, worried.

"Master Oogway…" Tigress whispers.

"Huh?"

"Po, this child is a tortoise… like… like Master Oogway." She says, paw to her mouth in surprise. "But Master Oogway said he was already at least two thousand years old when he created Kung Fu. He told us that he came from a faraway island."

"Okay… So?" Po asks.

"So how did this little one get here?" Tigress examined the small tortoise more closely, noticing the child's injuries and poor health. "He appears to be completely alone and… and hurt." She said, her voice breaking on the last word.

Po frowned. _Who would hurt a child, and why?_ He thought for a moment, and then got a scrunched expression on his face. "Tigress, the must be really young. He looks like he's about six years old. Why would someone hurt him? Kidnappers don't hurt usually hurt the kid they took; they wouldn't get ransom money that way. Who would do this?"

Tigress looked at him sadly. "There's a name for adults who hurt children. Sometimes it's a parent, birth or adopted, sometimes it's another family member, sometimes… sometimes it's the people who work in orphanages." She said with a low growl. "When an adult hurts a child, physically or emotionally, they are child abusers."

Po was very unhappy. Hurting a child intentionally was the most evil thing someone could do. His expression softening, Po leaned down and scooped up the small tortoise. Holding the little one securely in his arms, He looked at the cloth covering the child. It was a dark gray piece of silk, carefully embroidered around the edges with beautiful vines, and a large, emerald green dragon in the middle, positioned on the little one's back. There was also a name sown onto one corner, which he showed to tigress: Harry James Potter. _So his name is Harr_ y.

The small tortoise squirmed slightly and whimpered. "We'll take care of you, Harry. Don't worry." The panda soothed, calming the child the still sleeping child.

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Thanks for reading, and please feel to review!


	3. Chapter 2

I do not own Harry Potter or Kung Fu panda.

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Harry woke slowly. Still mostly asleep, he was very confused. This wasn't his cupboard; it was too bright and roomy. Also, he felt very strange. He was lying on his side, which wasn't really an unusual thing, but there was an odd weight on his back, and whole body felt… weird. But just as he was about to open his eyes, Harry heard faint footsteps. Ever cautious, he kept his eyes closed lightly, and his breaths low and even as if he were truly sleeping, at which he was well practiced due to the Dursleys. Harry was having trouble determining how many pairs of feet, and therefore people, there were. The footsteps paused, and he heard the sound of a door sliding open. Suddenly, Harry heard speaking, the voice definitely male.

"I think he's still asleep." The male voice whispered.

"I don't think so, Po." A female voice replied.

"Are you sure, Tigress?" the male voice, who must be Po, asked.

"Yes. Look at how tense his body is, and how his breaths are too even." Tigress replied.

Harry's breath hitched. What would these people, Po and Tigress, do to him? Would he be punished for trying to trick them? Deciding to face things head on, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was two animals: a tiger, which he decided must be Tigress, and a large panda, which had to be Po. Harry was very confused. Since when did animals talk? For that matter, since when did they walk on two legs and wear clothes? Still motionless, Harry was startled when the panda spoke.

"Hey little guy, did you sleep okay?" Po asked. All Po received was a blank stare. When Harry didn't respond, Po crouched down next to him. Thinking the child must be hungry Po asked "Would you like something to eat? You could have dumplings, soup, or even some delicious almond cookies." The panda smiled encouragingly. When Harry gave no answer, Tigress crouched down beside Po. Holding out her hand, she said "Come little one, let's get some food in you." Deciding he would trust these strangers, Harry reached out to grab her hand. But when his hand came into sight, he started. What was wrong with his hand? Why was it green and scaly, and why did he have claws for fingers? The child began to panic.

"Wha…What's wrong with my hand?" Harry asked, frightened.

Noticing the signs of impending panic, Tigress nudged Po. "We need to calm him down."

Po gathered Harry in his arms. "Harry, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with your hand. You have perfectly normal hand for a tortoise."

Forgetting his panic, Harry looked at the panda curiously. "What?"

Noticing his confusion, Tigress clarified. "You're a tortoise, Harry. Or in other words, you're a turtle."

Harry lay in Po's arms calmly, pondering his new situation. He decided that since his life as a human had been so awful, maybe being a tortoise wouldn't be bad at all. This world already seemed nicer, it was much quieter and very peaceful, and these animals seemed like much better people than any of the humans he had known. Harry had decided. He would stay here as long as they allowed him, and leave his human life behind him. Moments after he reached this decision, he noticed the significant pain in his head. Wincing, Harry pressed on his temples with his hands, trying to sooth his terrible headache.

"Ow." Said harry, looking up at Po with a pained expression. "My head really hurts."

"You do have a pretty bad bump on your head, so that's probably why." The panda explained to Harry.

"Do you know where you came from, Harry? We found you in Gongmen City, and brought you here to the Jade Palace, in the Valley of Peace. Did you get separated from your family?"

"No. My parents died when I was really young, and my… relatives… hated me. They always made sure I understood that. I don't know how I got away from them, but I'm glad I did. Even if I could remember who they were, I never want to go back to them."

Po and Tigress listened, and the more Harry spoke, the more they hated his so-called relatives. Both of them recognized what Harry wasn't saying. The boy's unspoken words confirmed their fears. This sweet, innocent young boy had been abused. Tigress was enraged at these people, and first time in his life, Po felt true hate. Hate towards these despicable people.

"Don't worry, Harry. You will never have to go back to them. We will take care of you." Tigress firmly declared. A few moments passed as her message sank in.

"Can I have some soup," Harry asked quietly, as if afraid of punishment "and... and maybe an almond cookie?"

"Of course you can, little guy." Po said. The panda proceeded to stand up, still holding the small tortoise in his arms. Tigress followed suit, and the three headed towards the kitchen.

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 **IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ** **{NEW NOTICE}**

Regarding my works, "Firenze Heard a Sound", "A Hobbit's Disenchanted Soul", "The Small Tortoise":

It is my plan to revise and edit this and my other two works. As I edit them, I will re-post them to my other account: (LizzyDragonMaster).

This version of "The Small Tortoise" will remain here, under this account (EmeraldDragonessLizzy).

It's title will now include [OLD VERSION]. It's summary will indicate that the new/revised version will be under (LizzyDragonMaster).

If you have any questions, please PM me either here at (EmeraldDragonessLizzy), or at (LizzyDragonMaster).


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